Facing Norton, his silver hair whipping wildly, the Royal Palace guards felt as though they stood at the edge of an abyss.
Especially after discovering the king's decapitated body in the rubble.
"This guy murdered His Majesty!"
The Royal Palace guards glared furiously at Norton, blaming him for the king's death without bothering to establish the facts.
Rather, the Royal Palace guards thought it only natural that Norton was the king's killer.
Who wouldn't suspect someone who had stormed into the Royal Palace and wreaked havoc?
Under the circumstances, unless they could replay the moment Mongula had killed the king, Norton couldn't clear his name no matter what he did.
Just then, the Celestial Dragon Ari Gray crawled out from behind the throne, covered in dust and dirt, and pointed at Norton.
"That's right! He's the one who killed the king! Arrest him!"
"You, and you lot too! Protect me!" the Celestial Dragon Ari shouted at the Royal Palace guards and CP Agents.
The CP Agents immediately gathered around him, while the Royal Palace guards exchanged bewildered looks.
"Idiots! This is the esteemed Celestial Dragon Saint Ari! He's far more important than your king!" one of the CP Agents roared. "Get over here and protect Saint Ari!"
"A Celestial Dragon? What's a Celestial Dragon doing in the Royal Palace?"
"Who cares? If he's an impostor, fine, but if he's real, none of us can afford to take responsibility!"
After a brief hesitation, the Royal Palace guards positioned themselves in front of the Celestial Dragon Ari.
"I almost forgot about you, you worthless piece of trash." Norton's gaze passed through the crowd and settled on Ari.
Seeing so many people gathered around him, Ari's confidence surged.
He sneered at Norton. "Just you wait, silver-haired brat! As soon as I return to the Holy Land, I'll tell the God's Knights how you dared offend me!"
"You think you'll make it back alive?" Norton asked flatly. "Don't tell me you think sheer numbers are enough to beat me."
"What do you mean?" Ari froze. Despite standing within a wall of people, he felt a chill creep over him.
"Still don't get it? If I want you dead, no number of people can save your miserable life!" Norton's smile turned savage in an instant!
"Watch out! Protect Saint Ari!" One of the CP Agents seemed to realize something.
But it was already too late!
The instant those words fell, Norton vanished from where he stood, as though he had never been there.
"He disappeared!"
The CP Agents and Royal Palace guards looked around, but Norton was nowhere to be seen.
"Forget that! Keep Saint Ari safe first!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
Everyone's eyes swung toward the rear in unison.
And they witnessed a horrifying sight!
The silver-haired young man stood in a pool of blood, holding an ugly severed head. At his feet lay a corpse, blood gushing like a spring from its severed neck...
Somehow, Norton had passed through their human wall and taken the Celestial Dragon's head without anyone noticing!
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to dance." Norton grinned.
Everyone instinctively took half a step back.
"Call for reinforcements! Send a distress signal to Marine Headquarters! Notify the nearest Marine Branch and tell them to send everyone!"
"This man is nothing we can fight!!"
Nami stood dumbstruck beside the street. Before her stretched a deep trench, snaking through half the island like an enormous dragon.
Just moments ago, she had watched that trench appear, as though some invisible giant had hurtled down the street, crushing everything beneath it!
Beyond that, Nami hadn't seen anything clearly. Looking toward the start of the trench, she saw a gaping hole in the Royal Palace's wall.
It was as though something had shot out from deep within the Royal Palace, obliterating everything in its path!
"What on earth happened in the Royal Palace?" Nami murmured.
Funing and Duke stared at the trench in silence as well, utterly stunned.
Just then, the light suddenly dimmed, as though an enormous dark cloud had covered the sky overhead.
"Hey! So this is where you were."
Someone suddenly spoke above their heads.
Nami, Funing, and Duke looked up at the voice and saw the silver-haired man crouched on a rooftop, balancing a hundred-meter-long ship on one hand.
"Hey, hey! That's way too ridiculous! That ship's even bigger than a warship!" Nami's jaw dropped.
And he was holding it in one hand that easily?
"M-Mr. Norton!" Funing was so excited she nearly cried. "You brought the White Pearl out!"
"Of course. This ship belongs to me and no one else!" Norton grinned. "Took some effort to find you. Get ready to set sail!"
"Wait! Tell us what happened first!"
Nami pointed at the enormous trench stretching toward the sea. "Don't tell me some laser cannon or something fired from the Royal Palace? I didn't see any laser!"
"Oh, that? I did it. Made a little more noise than intended, but it's fine. I've already taken down all the enemies," Norton said with a smile.
"You did it?!" Nami sucked in a breath. Could a human even do something like this?
"What happened inside the Royal Palace? What about that Celestial Dragon?" Duke swallowed as he asked.
"Didn't I tell you? I took them all down. The Celestial Dragon, CP0, the Royal Palace guards, and the World Government agents. All of them," Norton replied.
Duke collapsed onto the ground in despair. "We're finished! Finished! Everything's finished!"
A Celestial Dragon's death would inevitably draw powerful figures here. Everything connected to it would be thoroughly investigated. There was no hiding what had happened!
The wrath of the Celestial Dragons would destroy everyone involved!
Norton gave Duke a calm glance. "Pull yourself together. Things aren't that bad yet. I killed the Celestial Dragon, and the king's dead too..."
"That CP0 agent probably won't survive either."
"Even if the World Government wants to investigate, they won't be able to find anyone who knows the truth."
"Once I leave this country, you'll all be fine. Those agents and guards only saw my face."
Duke perked up. "If that's the case, we should be fine. Let's return to the castle! Then set sail immediately!"
They returned to the castle and immediately began making arrangements.
"Sanosuke, bring all the remaining pirates aboard. We have to leave before the Marines and the World Government's heavy hitters arrive," Norton instructed him.
Though Norton wasn't afraid of pursuit by the Marines or the World Government, it was still better to avoid trouble wherever possible.
"What happened?" Sanosuke was still bewildered. Why were they suddenly leaving? This was far too rushed.
"It's a bit complicated to explain. Basically, I killed a Celestial Dragon," Norton said.
"What?!" Sanosuke was stunned.
"Are you ready? Get aboard!" Nami had finished packing her treasure and luggage and boarded the White Pearl.
The Cooking Corps, Shipwright Crew, and other attendants who had gone into town to buy supplies had also returned to the castle and begun carrying provisions aboard the White Pearl.
Meanwhile, aboard another ship beside the White Pearl, Duke was arranging for his relatives and children to board. Servants carried an endless stream of treasure and gold onto the deck, leaving Nami staring wide-eyed.
With something this serious having happened, Duke also intended to put out to sea and lie low, returning after six months or a year.
"Funing! Hurry aboard! What are you still looking at?" Duke called to Funing, who stood at the harbor.
For once, Funing didn't answer him. She simply watched the White Pearl being pushed into the water.
"The launching ceremony is over. The White Pearl is going to sea..." Funing murmured.
Duke paused, following Funing's gaze toward the White Pearl. He stroked his beard, hesitated, then walked over to her.
"Do you want to board that ship, Funing? The White Pearl you built?" Duke asked.
"Huh? Dad? Can I?" Funing froze, surprise and joy quietly welling up in her eyes.
"The reluctance to let her go is practically spilling out of your eyes, silly girl..." Duke stroked Funing's head.
"Of course you can. Mr. Norton is very powerful. Honestly, at a time like this, even I don't know whether I'll get through it safely. But at Mr. Norton's side, you certainly will!"
"I believe Mr. Norton can protect my Funing."
With a Celestial Dragon dead in this country, the World Government would inevitably get to the bottom of it.
Duke knew that even though he had chosen to sail away before the investigation began, he wasn't necessarily safe. The World Government had eyes throughout the four seas, and his whereabouts could be discovered at any moment.
But at Norton's side, discovery was nothing to fear. Nothing could withstand that man's fists!
At least, that was what Duke believed.
Although he couldn't bear to let Funing leave his side, he was willing to let her go for her safety.
"Go, Funing. Didn't you say you wanted to travel around the world with your own ship? Your chance to fulfill that dream is right in front of you!" Duke ruffled Funing's long white hair.
Funing bit her lip, looking from Duke's ship to the White Pearl.
At last, she seemed to make up her mind and threw her arms tightly around Duke.
"Dad! Be careful! Once I've fulfilled my dream, I'll come back to you!"
Duke couldn't help chuckling. "We'll talk about that when the time comes. I might not be able to resist coming to find you before then, Funing."
Funing giggled, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and turned toward Norton, who was crouched on the White Pearl's bow, gazing into the distance.
"Mr. Norton! Can I join you? I want to sail with the White Pearl!!" Funing cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted up at him, her skirt fluttering in the wind.
Norton looked down at Funing and smiled. "Of course, Miss Funing. My ship happens to need an excellent shipwright."
"Besides, nobody knows the White Pearl better than you, right?"
Although the White Pearl already had a Shipwright Crew, not all shipwrights were equal. Funing's skills surpassed the entire crew's combined. She would make the perfect leader for them.
The White Pearl was large enough, a full hundred meters long, with a spacious interior. Even with Funing aboard, there would still be plenty of spare rooms.
"Hurry aboard!" Nami called to Funing with a smile as well.
Everyone aboard the White Pearl was male except her. With Funing joining them, she would have some company.
Funing lifted her skirt and stepped onto the gangway. Just then, clouds suddenly gathered above the White Pearl, rapidly darkening.
Nami looked up, her expression changing. "Oh no! There's going to be lightning!"
Funing looked up as well, worry filling her face. "It's lightning from the heavens! It destroyed my second child! Set sail, quickly! Get away from that cloud!"
Funing remembered it clearly. The second ship she had built had been struck by heavenly lightning on the day it was completed. Even its keel had been shattered.
"It's fate! Fate truly cannot be avoided!" Duke looked up amid the cries of alarm, his gaze turning grave. "This is a ship that heaven envies!"
Aboard the White Pearl, the remaining members of the Redbeard Pirates cast furtive glances at Sanosuke.
The corner of Sanosuke's eye twitched. Even he couldn't help wondering whether his bad luck had struck again.
No... they said it themselves. The ship is the problem!
Nami wiped away her sweat. A man with bad luck-Sanosuke-plus a ship with bad luck-the White Pearl. Was it really safe to sail like this?
"You've been going on and on about fate this whole time..."
Deep within the black clouds, thunder rolled like drums, and brilliant lightning flashed.
Boom!!
A hundred-meter-thick bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky!
"Didn't I tell you?" Norton leaped high into the air, his laughter wild. "What you call fate is nothing that can withstand a single blow from me!!"
Facing the terrifying might of heaven, Norton unleashed a Serious Punch!
The force of his fist surged upward like an invisible continent, crashing into the black clouds above the White Pearl!
The hundred-meter-thick lightning bolt was blasted apart down the middle and vanished without a sound. The sky abruptly cleared as Norton's punch tore a hole through the black clouds!
One punch, and the heavenly lightning scattered!
For that instant, everyone was too stunned to speak.
"Raise the sails! We're setting off!" Norton landed on the White Pearl's bow and spread his arms as though embracing the sea.
While Norton, Duke, and the others were preparing to set sail, a group of Marines shifted a broken boulder inside the Royal Palace and squeezed through the gap into the great hall.
The horrifying sight and overwhelming stench of blood nearly made the Marines vomit!
Corpses lay strewn throughout the ruined hall, and blood flowed in rivers!
"All inexperienced recruits, get outside!" The Marine lieutenant leading them wore a grim expression.
"Colonel, judging by their wounds, they were all killed with a single blow! Not one body has an intact skeleton!" the adjutant beside him reported with a frown.
"Who attacked the Royal Palace? To commit a massacre like this... unforgivable! Justice will bring them to account!" the Marine lieutenant growled furiously.
"Colonel! This body... seems to be the king's!"
"We found one here too! This is a Celestial Dragon's body! There's no mistaking those clothes!"
"What?! Even a Celestial Dragon was killed?!"
The Marine lieutenant approached and looked. Sure enough, he saw two decapitated corpses dressed in luxurious clothing. It was clear at a glance that neither had been an ordinary person.
"They were even killed in exactly the same way. It must have been the same person! Who would dare do something like this?" the Marine lieutenant pondered.
"To think such an evil criminal has appeared in the East Blue! Someone who dares harm even a Celestial Dragon and a king! No... we must notify headquarters. We can't let them remain at large!"
"Understood!" The adjutant took out a Den Den Mushi, thought for a moment, and asked, "I heard Mr. Garp recently returned to the East Blue on vacation. Should we contact him?"
The Marine lieutenant nodded. "That works too! After something like this, Vice Admiral Garp wouldn't stand idly by even if we didn't tell him!"